Fixed gear temporarily for insurance purposes?

[ateamer]

If you are shopping for a Lance or Cherokee 6 and Insurance premium is a deal breaker, your bank account isn't going to lake the rest of the expenses lol.

No kidding! A friend had to have the hydraulic power pack on his Lance overhauled twice in the last six years, at $3500 a pop. And then the boost pump at north of $700. Plus $100 an hour to his A&P.

If you can’t afford to drop five grand on your next flight, ownership might not be for you.

 

[Sac Arrow]

During my PPL, one day the only airplane available was a 172RG. We took it, and the instructor said "don't touch that gear!" It flew like a turd.*

*Flew one later. Raising the gear didn't help much.

 

[schmookeeg]

Hey, since its only money, you can Venmo @David-Torrente. Feel free to send as much as they'll let you.

I have venmo'ed you the value I found in your post. It's only money.

OP -- rather than getting a ragged out dream plane and trying to find a loophole around the quoted insurance rate on it -- would it make more sense to get a nice example of your dream plane and arrange to share the costs with, say, a partner or two? I think this is where we are all headed as the GA frog boils and we approach Euro levels of expense and nuisance to fly these things.

 

[DJTorrente]

I have venmo'ed you the value I found in your post. It's only money.

Zero dollars duly received. Point made: It's always easier to spend other people's money, isn't it?

 

[William Pete Hodges]

Considering a Cherokee 6 but i found a Lance in my price range. The insurance on a retractable will kill me, but an A&P years ago mentioned that a 210 can be made a fixed gear. Im sure it can be done with a Lance, but will the insurance company go for it?

Once I build more time, I suspect the rates would go down and then I can put the gear up? Anybody tried this workaround?

I would buy the Lance and pay the insurance. Get extra training and fly enough the first year to get your rate dropped for next year.

 

[ateamer]

For your mission, will 10 to 15 knots make a significant difference in time on your flights? If it does, is that time difference important enough to pay the premium on it? Will you spend less by saving time than you will by paying for retractable gear, insurance and maintenance in it? If not, are you opposed to getting more stick time and more of the view from up there?